IBC: the cameras and kit to look out for

Tech show IBC (8-12 Sept) is a great place to check out both brand new launches as well as a chance to get your hands on something already announced at NAB. Jon Creamer gives a small taste of what’s likely to be on offer

First up, Sony. Sony says it will be exhibiting its full ecosystem – from acquisition through production to archive at IBC. A big draw will be the first European showing of its new HDC-4800 system camera, a 4K 8x Super Motion Camera System with Replay Server Function, built for sports live production that was announced to huge fanfare at NAB this year. Also announced at NAB was Sony’s XDCAM shoulder-mount camcorder, the PXW-Z450 which is capable of capturing 4K (3840 x 2160) picture quality from a new 2/3-type ExmorR CMOS sensor. Many will hope to get a look at it in action before it ships later this year.

Canon announced new additions to its family of Cinema EOS products at NAB with the launch of the ME200S-SH, a compact professional multi-purpose video camera, and the CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS, a compact cinema EOS lens with cine-servo style functionality that is described by Canon as a bridge between traditional Canon EF photography lenses and CN-E cinema lenses, and is aimed at filmmakers and documentary shooters “who want the control and quality of cinema optics with the lightweight, compact design and features of photography lenses. “ Both will be on display for touch and try, for the first time in Europe at IBC.

At NAB, Panasonic announced additions to its professional 4K camera lineup, both of which will be on display in Europe for the first time at IBC. The UX premium model (AG-UX180) is equipped with a 1-type MOS sensor, optical 20x zoom and UHD 60p recording capability, whilst the UX standard model (AG-UX90) features a 1-type MOS sensor, optical 15x zoom and UHD 30p recording capability. IBC will also see the VariCam cameras set up in a dedicated production area, including the (relatively) new VariCam LT that gives the famous ‘Panasonic look’ in multiple formats ranging from 4K, UHD, 2K and HD.

The company’s remote camera range and its studio cameras including the AK-UC3000 4K live camera system and the AK-HC5000 will be on show too. Panasonic will also be displaying its AG-DVX200 4K large sensor camcorder.
As always, there will be much excitement about what Arri may or may not choose to announce at the show. There’s been speculation that a ‘true 4K’ Alexa could make its debut at IBC (though NAB is more likely). As Azule’s Duncan Payne says, “I think this may be the third show running that I have said that there will be announcements about a new higher-resolution Arri sensor. I’ll be right one day, maybe this time. RED’s 6K Weapon may force Arri’s hand this time.”

On the subject of Red, many of the show’s visitors will be very keen to head to the Red stand to see if they can get a look at a Weapon camera with the new 8K Super 35 Helium sensor. A few models were shipped as a very limited edition just a few weeks ago after a surprise announcement by Red president Jarred Land (they sold out in ten minutes). Apparently Michael Bay’s already got his own custom-made lime green version called Bayhem.
There will be lots of lenses to focus on to. Fujifilm will be showing off its 2/3” 4K UHD products including the Fujinon UA13x4.5 (4.5-118mm) Ultra-wide angle lens that has just started shipping. Cooke Optics will demonstrate the new 35-140mm zoom at IBC 2016, alongside a variety of Anamorphic/i, 5/i, S4/i and miniS4/i lenses.

SAM will be launching its new mid-range Vega processing router line-up at the show, featuring four processing router models from 68 ports to 432 ports.SAM is also showing its new low cost, high capability range of signal protection modules, synchronisers and mux’s and is introducing new 12 Gbps 4K signal processing modules and adding its logo detection and alarming technology to its monitoring and control solutions.

Along with its production switchers, Ross is now in the camera business, having launched ACID cameras earlier this year. They make their European debut at IBC. ACID is a series of compact “box cameras” that offer full size studio camera performance. They also offer special performance characteristics for chroma keying in virtual environments.

4K UHD will form the central element of Ikegami’s exhibit. Making their IBC debut will be the 4K-native 2/3 inch UHK-430 portable broadcast camera and the HQLM-3120W 31 inch monitor. Also on show will be the new HDL-F3000 multi-format ultra-low-light camera and the new MCP-300 Network Master Control Panel. Ikegami also celebrates its 70th anniversary at IBC 2016.
Blackmagic announced a new camera operating system and more easily-navigable user interface for the URSA Mini at NAB and the public beta of it is now available. Users can take a look at the Blackmagic stand.
New products and solutions from Grass Valley making their EMEA debut at IBC include the LDX 86N native HD/3G/4K/ High-Speed System Cameras, the direct IP solution for the LDX series of cameras, the compact GV Korona K-Frame S-series Video Production Center switcher and iTX On-Demand Automated VOD Publishing.

Down at the AJA Video Systems stand, a couple of recently announced bits of kit will be on display. The company has just started shipping its updated Hi5-Fiber Mini-Converter with 3G-SDI support for high frame rate needs. Also recently at InfoComm in Las Vegas, AJA introduced a new Mini-Converter, the HA5-Fiber, for HDMI to 3G-SDI conversion. The small form factor enables this Mini-Converter to easily fit onto the back of a camera or neatly behind an equipment rack, extending HDMI signals up to 10km.

IBC Q&As

Olly Wiggins
Co-owner S+O Media

What will you be looking out for at IBC? I’m hoping for news of future camera bodies from Arri and Canon. For new cameras the Red Helium will be a huge crowd puller.

What manufacturers interest you? Apart from all the camera manufacturers we will be looking at LEDs from Aladdin and DMG Lumiere. Tripods from OConnor and Sachtler.

What new products are you keen to get your hands on? We’ll be predominantly looking for neat accessories to make the day to day use of our equipment easier.

Are there any announcements you’re hoping for? Hopefully roadmaps for the Canon, ARRI and Sony high end cameras. New lenses by Hanse Inno Tech.

What will be the main themes at IBC? With any trade shows the theme is progression. IBC promises to deliver some great announcements and innovations across the board of acquisition and delivery. HDR, VR, and new camera systems will all be there to look forward to.
Bharat Kerai, business development manager, WTS and
Jonathan Lyth, systems manager, WTS

What new products are you keen to get your hands on?BK Canon launched the ME200S-SH at NAB. It has Canon’s highly impressive Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus system and is going to be great for everything from broadcast and cinematic productions to scientific research and wildlife documentaries. We can’t wait to try it out!
NewTek’s TalkShow VS4000 multi-channel video-calling production system. Designed for SDI and IP workflows, it’s going to make life much simpler for broadcasters who want to conduct multiple live Skype video calls simultaneously from the studio. The imminent arrival of Canon’s new CN-E 18-80mm cine-zoom lens has caused a stir in the office. We’ll be taking the opportunity to take a closer look at it at IBC.

Are there technologies you want to find out more about?JL At IBC 2013, the SMPTE said that it was striving for improvement across higher dynamic range, higher frame rate, wider colour space and higher resolution – yet it’s only the last of those that has been such a buzzword in the intervening three years. Of all these technological advances, HDR is probably the cheapest for the industry to deliver, and the easiest improvement for the consumer to appreciate. Nevertheless, it opens up a number of questions, not least the setting of standards for what we will actually consider to be HDR, and the possibility that higher frame rates might be needed to address viewer sensitivity to the strobing of 50i or 25p on the brighter screens used to deliver HDR. So WTS will be eager to learn as much as we can about it.
Are there any announcements you’re hoping for at the show?BK We wouldn’t be surprised to see Sony announce something like an F75 – a 4K cinema camera to challenge the Arri Amira. But something like that might have to wait until Las Vegas and NAB.
Shaun Wilton
Head of facilities, Shooting Partners
What will you be looking out for at IBC? New VR rigs, Sony EF equivalent lenses, personal/small drones, any new camera systems, VR cameras and headsets, IP TV, camera to cloud, PTZ cameras, sliders and jibs, LED Lighting.What stands will you be heading for? Sony, Canon, GoPro, ARRI, JVC Bradley, Panasonic and Vitec TVU Networks.What manufacturers interest you? Nokia have blown us away with the OZO 360 camera. We will be heading straight for the stand to see any updates!What new products are you keen to get your hands on? Syrp Magic Carpet, Sync Bac from TimeCode Systems,Are there technologies you want to find out more about? Virtual reality is fantastic and finally reaching the quality we are excited about! Are there any announcements you’re hoping for? Away from VR / 360 and HDR, anything that improve on existing kit e.g. time code into Canon XC10, Sony FS5 Maybe something from Arri.

Kevin Moorhouse
COO, Gearhouse Broadcast

What will you be looking out for at IBC? Requests for 4K or UHD content from broadcasters haven’t slowed down so we’ll be on the lookout for the latest cameras and lenses as well as UHD-enabled kit for our workflows. And of course, we’re interested in seeing what’s available in IP infrastructures that will enable faster and more efficient acquisition and delivery of 4K.

What stands will you be heading for? IBC is a great place to catch up with our partners and see what they’re demonstrating around 4K and IP so we’ll dropping by the Lawo stand to take a look at their V__matrix routers. I always like heading to the Evertz and Imagine Communications stands to see what new toys they’ve got for us to play with.

Are there technologies you want to find out more about? Cameras with higher dynamic ranges are something manufacturers have been speaking about for a while. But as we wait for 4K broadcasts to become a reality, HDR has become more important for broadcasters. It’s something we can help our customers benefit from now so we’ll have a number of engineers spending time at the show with a number of manufacturers to see what they can offer in wider dynamic ranges. VR is also becoming more important. Especially in live sports, audiences want to become as immersed as they can and VR is a great way to do that. It seems to be moving from a nice-to-do to something that audiences actually get something from.

What will be the main themes at IBC? While the overall themes of 4K and IP are key, what’s really important is how we can benefit from these technologies now that are of real interest. The possibility of remote production is one of these benefits that will continue to play a bigger part. It’s something that will make our services better if we can deliver operations remotely for our clients.

Duncan Payne
Regional director, Azule Finance

What will you be looking out for at IBC? New trends, particularly in OB IP infrastructure are interesting. There is still an understandable nervousness among tier one OB providers to venture too far in to remote production though. But for second tier events where it’s not so mission-critical, the technology exists right now. Also around live production, second screen technology is becoming more and more lucrative, so the technology from the likes of EVS is becoming increasingly important for rights holders.

What manufacturers interest you? The three main broadcast manufacturers that we’ve done most business with are Sony, Arri and Canon, so we will certainly be heading to see what’s new there. Fujinon have made good headway with their new 4K 2/3” lenses proving popular. Ross Video remain front and centre of a lot of the studio and live production innovations. The pinnacle of OB production camera technology is currently the Sony HDC-4300, which is starting to sell in greater volumes now. With its ability to be used as a 4K camera or an HD super-motion camera, it is a very versatile camera to have in the fleet. NewTek are generally a safe bet to have new product or technology releases at the major shows. Their TriCaster range is constantly evolving, and there is nothing else that does what it can do at that price point.

What new products are you keen to get your hands on? The Sony PXW-Z450 is the first 4K 2/3” shoulder-mount camcorder. Apparently it isn’t shipping until October but there should be beta models around to try. Zeiss has been consistently adding lenses to its already extensive range, and I’m sure there will be more announcements at IBC.
Are there any announcements you’re hoping for at the show? I think this may be the third show running that I have said that there will be announcements about a new higher-resolution Arri sensor. I’ll be right one day, maybe this time. RED’s 6K Weapon may force Arri’s hand this time.